The Stars have finally come together to get the season started, but it's been a long time since we've seen this group compete, and Dallas has added significant pieces to its 2013 roster. Here's a chance to get familiar with the 2013 Stars.

Curt Fraser has played a few NHL games and scored a few power-play goals, and that could be important to the Stars this season.

The 55-year-old assistant also has coached several years in the NHL, and that also could be important to the Stars this season.

But Fraser said he knows what’s really important: results.

“Honestly, it comes down to the players on the ice and what they’re able to do and what they’re comfortable with,” said Fraser, who tallied 39 power-play goals among 193 in his NHL career with the Canucks, Blackhawks and North Stars. “If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that they are the ones who are going to get the job done, and they are the ones who you need to trust to make the right decisions.”

That doesn’t mean Fraser just tosses the pucks out, but it does mean there is an interesting vibe on the power play this season. The players look around and see Jaromir Jagr and Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson and Derek Roy and Brenden Morrow, and they know they can have success.

“The great thing about [Fraser] is he really trusts the players, and it’s about the players and what we can do,” Benn said. “He lets us just play hockey out there. We’re not a bunch of robots; we’re going to make skill plays because we’re skilled players. We’ve put in a lot of hard work to score, and we know we have to outwork the other team.”

Benn said one of the keys to the recent power-play success — 5-for-18 in the last five games — is the Stars are retrieving loose pucks after failed attempts and keeping the pressure on the opposing goalie. And that’s something Fraser stresses.

“It’s pretty simple stuff,” he said. “Get shots to the net, get traffic to the net, and keep the puck in the zone. I think one of the things we’ve been doing well recently is having a really strong effort in retrieval. We outwork the penalty killers, and we get the puck back, and you have to do that to be successful.”

Part of that retrieval is deciding to go with four-forward/one-defenseman units more often. Roy has moved back to the point at times. So has Eriksson. Yet, both forwards also don’t mind swapping places mid-power play, with one moving up to the net and the other sliding back. That gives the Stars a better chance to change the point of attack.

“I haven’t done it much before, but it gives you choices,” Eriksson said. “You are moving a lot more.”

And that seems to be working. Last season, the Stars were 30th in power-play success at 13.5 percent and 30th in power-play goals scored, with 33 in 82 games. This season, they are 13th in success rate and 14th in goals scored. If it was a normal 82-game season, they would be on pace to score 19 more power-play goals, an increase of 57.5 percent, over last season.

That isn’t all Fraser’s work. The team ranks 18th in power-play opportunities after finishing 28th last season. So just getting on the power play more is making it better.

“It’s just difficult to generate any momentum if you’re only getting one or two power plays a game,” Fraser said. “You have to be able to get on the power play, find some rhythm and then get comfortable with each other.”

Fraser is getting help. Head coach Glen Gulutzan still likes to employ a philosophy he has used in minor league hockey, having two units compete against one another within the team. The battle to score more goals often brings urgency to the power play.

“There’s no question the changes have helped. We leaned on some guys in certain areas to get pucks to the net, and that made a difference,” Gulutzan said of things Fraser has implemented. “I also think that we have an older group and a younger group, and there’s a good competition there. I’ve always liked that. I like competition within the team, and the old guys are responding right now.”

That can make all the difference between making the playoffs and missing.

“It’s a huge part of the game,” Morrow said. “It sounds simple, and we talk about it all of the time. When you get a chance to change a game with a power play, you need to take advantage. I think we’re doing a better job of that this year.”

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